Cable reel



Aug 3, 19 3 F. J. COUNIHAN 3 M CABLE REEL v Filed May 5. 1951 INVENTOR ATTQRNEV6 Patented Aug. 1, 1933 v aUNlTED STATES,

AT-E T- OFFICE- CABLE REEL Frank Counihan, Indiana, Pa. Application May 5, 1931. Serial No. 535,241= 1 Claim. (oi. 173-367) My present invention has reference to ameans for overcoming the danger. in handling electric wires and shot-firing batteries employed in blasting and shooting rock, blasting coal and other 5 materials, and my object is the provision of a reel or wheel on which the electric wires are wound and which reel or wheel has arranged thereon a short circuiting clip to engagewith the uncoveredends of the wires to prevent the said 7 10 ends of the wires from coming in contact with electric ground wires for mine rails and mining machinery or other causes due to-the present methods of shot firing and the handling of shot of blasting and shooting rock, coal and other 'materials. However, the present methods of handling the cables are dangerous to the blaster and,

costlyto the owner, especially in underground mining. With my improvement I aim to reduce the hazards in blasting or shot firing, to save time and expense for labor and to lower the mainte- 'nance cost and cable renewals. -This I accom plish by the construction now to ,be described.

In carrying out my invention I employ a peripherally grooved reel or wheel 1 which is preferably of rubber or fibre but which may be of metal. covered conductor-wires 2. One sideor rim of the wheel or' reel 1 is provided with an opening through which the ends of the covered wires '2 are'passed and the ends of the wires have their covering removed and are received in a shortcircuiting device that is fixed on one side of the wheel'or reel 1. r

The short circuiting device is of metal and comprises a fiat'base 3 that is of substantially rec-' tangular formation and that is provided with openings for the reception of rivets .or like elements for securing the .same onthe side of the wheel or reel 1. The body-plate 3 is centrally formed with spaced upstanding flanges 4 and 5,

. 55. respectively, the flange 5 having its outer end To the attainment of the foregoingthe inven- In the groove of thereel 1 I wind the arched, as at 6, overthe flange 4, but the arched portion is spaced away from the fiange 4 so that a space is provided to permit of the uncovered wire ends being received between the flanges 4 and 5 and to be frictionally engaged thereby. Q;

Preferably the short circuiting device or clip is made of copper and, of course, the flanges 4 and 5 exert a sufficient tension against each other to hold. and short circuit the battery ends of the cable. wound upon the reel are uncovered and are connected to the usual explosive cap which is inserted in the blast. The operator places the reel in one of his handsand turns the same or permits the same to automatically turn as the wires are drawn taut to unwind the wires from the reel and afterthe wires have been unwound suificiently to permit of the operator to be in position a safe distance from theblast the uncovered ends of the wires engaged by the cap are removed from said cap and are connected with a battery, magneto or other source of electricity of sufiicient potential to explode the cap and the charge.

Numerous accidents have occurred to workmen, especially in coal mines, by the electric wires coming in contact with electric ground wires from-mine rails and mining machinery or other causes due to the present methods of shot firingand the handling of the shot firing equipment. It is customary to have approximately one hundred feet of cable for shot firing in coal mines. At present, the cable is wrapped around a piece of wood or the shot firer will wrap the The ends of the conductor wires not wire around his arm. This method of reeling produces short kinks the cable which are destructive to the insulation and wires and. such methods do not employ means for short circuitingthe battery end of. the cable! It is, therefore, obvious that the use of a 9 cable reel with a short circuiting clip thereon,

will prove a safeguard to 'life and prolong the use of the materials used for blasting purposes. Obviously I -do not wish to be restricted to the specific structure herein shown' and described and, therefore, hold myself entitled to make such changes therefrom as fairly fall within the scope of what I claim. Y Havingdescribed the invention, I claim? A reel for covered conductor wires employed 0 i in blasting, comprising a .ring having a peripheral groove on which the covered wires are wound and through which ring one arm of an operator is designed to be inserted to serve asa journal for the ring, the outer ends of the wires being 1 uncovered designed to be connected to an explosive cap which is inserted'in a blast, the

reel having one of its sides provided with an opening through which is passed the second end of the covered wires, and the covering on the said ends of said wires being removed, a. clip' for frictionally engaging and electrically connecting the said uncovered ends of the 

